Members of The Cyprus Institute win Stelios Bi-communal Business Award

‘Stelios Bi-communal Business Awards’ 2015 ceremony took place for the 7th consecutive year, at Bi - Communal Café of Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in old Nicosia, on Monday 26 October, which was addressed by President Nicos Anastasiades. Congratulations to Marios C. Georgiou (Researcher at Energy, environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC)), Agapios Agapiou (Technical instrument Developer), and Hakan Djuma Researcher at Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC), members of The Cyprus Institute, for being awarded by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou as one of 31 winning bi-communal teams, granted a cash prize of €10,000.

The innovative business proposal of the team, is to own a bicycle taxi (driver plus two passengers) and the hybrid system of photovoltaics and manpower pedalling to be integrated. BiCy taxi will be able to cross the green line from the Ledra Street (as it will be registered as a bike and not a car). The BiCy’s “wifi” and GPS to be installed, will provide the possibility to track the bike, and also to provide guiding regarding monuments and sight-seeing within the walls in both, North and South Nicosia.

Not only people who enjoy a green ride in the both sides of Nicosia will pay, but also companies who want to post advertisements on the BiCy taxi will pay for the services. The hybrid-solar-bicycle-taxi will provide innovation, mobility (border-crossing from busy Ledra Street), cooperation and visibility. Benefits will not only be financial and environmental, but also social, as it manifests the team’s vision of green-freedom and advertises it proudly. The BiCy, hybrid-solar- bicycle – taxi, is expected to be the first, bi-communal vehicle participating in the 2016 Solar Challenge to be organized by The Cyprus Institute for the 7th consecutive year.

The ceremony was addressed by the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades stressed that “the impressive outreach and success of these bi-communal business awards should come as no surprise: Greek and Turkish Cypriots collaborated and co-created successfully for decades, proving that their common denominator, their Cypriot identity, and their common desire to prosper together, are strong and lingering”.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: "This is a charity project, not a political one. This is my way of giving back to the island that my family comes from. This project is one of my ways of repaying my debt to society. We are working over the last 7 years for lasting peace on the island of Cyprus".

The Bi-Communal Café aims to bring closer Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and manage to strengthen the element of trust and cooperation between them. The award ceremony was attended by many personalities from the political and business world.